The ability to display for an aircraft pilot a three-dimensional rendering of nearby terrain provides increased situational awareness at all times, regardless of the time of day or visibility. The increased situational awareness lowers the probability of the aircraft flying into terrain. On the other hand, current technology only allows real-time weather information to be rendered on a weather radar display with a two-dimensional track-up display or a north-up plan map display. With the advantages of showing 3-D terrain on a cockpit display, a 3-D display of weather would have similar advantages, especially in the terminal area.
Three-dimensional weather information, collected from ground sources, may be sent to the aircraft via a datalink. However, during terminal area maneuvers, real-time weather is more beneficial to the pilot. More specifically, the pilot needs to know accurate estimates of storm cells, windshear, and turbulent regions while in the terminal area. Due to the current latency or time delays associated with obtaining ground-based weather information, real-time 3-D weather information cannot be acquired via a datalink. Such real-time 3-D weather information can only be provided by a real-time weather information system such as what is typically provided on board an aircraft. Currently, pilots rely on the on-board weather radar for rapid weather updates of convection and turbulent regions, not only in terminal areas, but also while en route to a destination airport.
Pilots can currently use a head down track-up display of on-board weather radar information. However, this presents additional pilot workload, because pilots may be using a head-down or head-up three-dimensional computer-generated terrain display while maneuvering in the terminal area and monitoring multiple displays while making critical take-off or landing maneuvers. Pilots would have to look at another display, separate from the terrain display, to view two-dimensional weather information, and then mentally project that weather information onto the three-dimensional display that is being used for the landing maneuvers.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a system that displays real-time weather information to a pilot of an aircraft.
It is a further object of the invention to display real-time, three-dimensional weather information in combination with a display of three-dimensional terrain information and other potential hazards.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a system that displays real-time weather information to a pilot of an aircraft, where the system can rely on information obtained solely from onboard radar equipment.
A feature of the invention is the use of multiple, non-coplanar radar scans from onboard radar equipment, where the scans are used to create a revisable three-dimensional model of storm cells.
An advantage of the invention is that the three-dimensional weather information is provided in real time and can be incorporated into computer-generated terrain displays.